Do a quick google search for ‘Jono Armstrong’….. I’ll explain ok 🙂

 

In 2011 I was offered a job as a co-host on a popular morning TV show that was focused around music & comedy.

TV Host

Being a foreigner over here who speaks almost fluent Indonesian then it’s pretty unique for people in the TV world. The producers of the show knew that I played in a recording band and that I knew my stuff when it came to music. I was on the show every morning live from 7am – 11am. It was one of Indonesia’s most popular daily shows and millions tuned in everyday to watch. The money wasn’t amazing but I got a lot of endorsements and sponsorships. I also got invited to appear on other TV shows as a result and before long became an Indonesian celebrity.

Encore with With Gugun Blues Shelter 2015

Moneywise between the TV shows, films, sponsorships and music gigs on the weekends, I was making around $10,000 per month. I was starting to enjoy the lifestyle, bought a new car, partied A LOT and things soon went out of control….

 

High Times 2013 – 2016

By 2013 I was quite a high profile public figure. Everybody knew my name wherever I went (being a foreigner alone was enough to get stared at, let alone being a famous foreigner). People would stop me in the mall for sefies and sometime’s I’d even wear a disguise or medical mask & hood to avoid being recognized. I was famous for being a musician, TV host and most of all for being a family man. My whole family would appear on TV like the kardashians….

The Kardashi-Jons

I went down the wrong path, hung out with the wrong people and started doing the wrong things. These included excessive drinking, drug abuse and multiple affairs.

A Regular Evening in Downtown Jakarta
With my Drinking Buddy,Torank
Every Thursday Night at a Jam Session in Jakarta

 

 

I quickly burned though my savings, ruined my marriage and became addicted to prescription drugs and morphine. To add to this, everyone had become my enemy. The media turned on me, hunting me down for every scandal they could find or make up, my divorce was aired on TV, random people would hurl abuse at me via social media. I lost all of my TV work and quit the band. I paid the price. I broke down. I was a mess.

 

The Long Way Back Up (2016 – Present)

The beginning of 2016 was spent in a small apartment with 2 of my kids; Adam (15) and Toby (14) and my girlfriend Cice (who is now my wife).

The last meal with Cice & the Kids before going to the UK to Detox – June 2016

I was still addicted to Xanax & Morphone and didn’t want to leave my apartment at all. I started the painful journey though detox but couldn’t handle it here in Jakarta being a public figure in public. It was a nightmare so I went back to the UK alone to battle it out at my parents house. I spent almost a month there and stopped cold turkey.

On the Way to The UK – June 2016

My dad took me on runs almost every day and got me cleaned up and ready to return to Jakarta.

By mid 2016 I was completely clean and ready to start a fresh. I didn’t want to continue with any more TV appearances as I was too ashamed and besides, the public hated me now. I still continued with my music and have started playing session bass for a very popular Indonesian singer called ‘Once mekel’. I’m getting weekly gigs and the pay is actually better than in my old band (around $400 per show), I also get to travel around indonesia as most of our gig’s are in cities outside Jakarta. Cice comes with me as she loves travelling too.

 

Our Wedding – 1st October 2016

Cice and I got married in October and have moved to the suburbs where we live with Adam & Toby who both go to school here and do teenage things (skateboarding, playstation etc). Adam is following in my footsteps and has started playing guitar. He’s even got a few gigs playing in church.

Me & Cice at a friends wedding September 2016
Me & Cice about to rent a bike in Bali November 2016

 

Income

Ok so what’s going on with the income? Well at the moment I’m living off the money I get from my weekly gigs. It’s more than teaching English over here and it’s simply a weekly event that I really enjoy.

Once Mekel Band +20k People – Suluwesi December 2016

I was in Padang (Sumatra) last weekend and I’m going to Borneo on Saturday for a gig (about a 2 hr flight from Jakarta). I don’t have any gigs lined up for next month as it’s Ramadan. This gives me A LOT of free time to get back into internet things.